The Biostatistics Core provides long-term collaborative support to established programs of research at the Center, and short-term consulting services. The work of the Core enhances the scientific objectives of the Center's research programs by providing expertise on study design and statistical analysis. The field of biostatistics is devoted to developing an understanding of the appropriate ways to derive scientific inferences from quantitative data, and to developing methods for achieving this aim. Our staff is highly trained in this field and were all recruited after extensive national searches. The Facility consists of 16 doctoral-level faculty biostatisticians, assisted by 8 masters-level biostatisticians, and a team of programming and administrative staff. The doctoral-level biostatisticians in the Facility have broad, collective experience in all of the specialized areas of statistical techniques that are pertinent to contemporary cancer research, including clinical trials methodology, actuarial techniques, epidemiologic methods, analysis of genomics data, statistical genetics, methods for diagnostic medicine, evidence-based medicine and psychometric methods. Cost recovery is achieved primarily through involvement of the Facility members and staff as funded co-investigators on NIH grants. By providing a valid framework for the design, conduct and analysis of scientific studies, the Core contributes to scientific quality and promotes interdisciplinary research.